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Rochester police intensified their search Sunday for a suspect thought to have shot an officer in the head on the city's northeast side Saturday night.

The officer, Jeremy Nash, 36, was shot at 10:43 p.m. on North Street just north of Clifford Avenue.

Rochester Police Chief Michael Ciminelli said Nash was shot "near the face," but offered no other details about his injuries other than to describe them as "serious" but not life-threatening.

Nash, an 11-year veteran of the department who is assigned to patrol the neighborhood, known as the Clinton Section, was taken to Rochester General Hospital and was listed in stable condition Sunday.

At a morning news briefing, Ciminelli provided few details about the circumstances of the incident other than to say officers were responding to an unrelated 911 call nearby when the shooting occurred.

He said Nash was alert and able to talk to investigators about what happened. Ciminelli said witnesses in the neighborhood were cooperative with investigators.

Indeed, in an audio recording of the 911 call for the incident, an officer can be heard saying, "My partner was hit in the head with something. … I'm driving my partner to the hospital right now."

The partner, who did not identify himself, then responded: "Something hit me in the head. I don't know what it was. You should get a bunch of cars over there now."

A dispatcher then asked the driver whether the wound was caused by gunfire, but it appeared to be the wounded partner who answered: "It kind of felt like I got hit in the head by a sledgehammer, so I'm assuming it was probably a gun. There was a bunch of what we thought were fireworks, but I don't know what it was."

Asked whether he thought the shooting may have been the result of an ambush, Ciminelli said they were investigating the possibility that Nash was targeted because he was a police officer.

"Under the circumstances, it's certainly something we have to take into consideration as we conduct our investigation," he said. "At this point I'm going to put my personal beliefs aside and we're going to look for evidence and facts and we'll go wherever it leads us."

Ciminelli declined to say whether the incident was captured by any body-worn cameras.

Police did not release a description of the suspect but asked anyone with information about the crime to call 911 or call Crime Stoppers at (585) 423-9300.

The Rochester police tactical unit led the search for a suspect that started Saturday night and lasted into the late afternoon on Sunday.

Police closed down a wide portion of the area, and some roads remained closed Sunday as technicians continued to gather evidence. The streets were opened back up around 4 p.m.

Even after the roads were opened, patrol cars from the RPD and Monroe County Sheriff's Office were parked for hours in a driveway of a house at the corner of North and Alphonse streets.

Police issued a news release late Sunday that stated the house, at 997 North St., was the subject of a search warrant and that investigators removed a small-caliber rifle that "has no bearing" on the shooting of Nash.

Nash is the sixth Rochester police officer to be shot in the line of duty in the last eight years. Ciminelli said there was no doubt that the level of violence against police officers has been on the rise.

"This is something that we are always concerned about," he said. "We're always looking for better ways to keep our officers safe as they in turn keep the community safe."

"What I said back then has been proven correct. This city is strong. It remains strong. The Rochester Police Department remains strong," Ciminelli said. "Our officers were out there yesterday protecting this community. They're out there now protecting this community. And they'll be out there tomorrow protecting the community. That's not going to change."

Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren visited Officer Nash and his family at the hospital Sunday night and praised his service.

"When I think about the fact that our officers put on their uniforms every day and go out there to serve and protect this city, they deserve to be able to go home to their families safely," she said. "This could've ended very differently."

Warren said that Nash has a 3-week-old daughter.

"We as a community have got to understand that this is not the way to deal with issues," she said Saturday night. We have to come together. I ask that you keep Officer Nash and his family in your prayers."

"The shooting of Police Officer Jeremy Nash must be condemned," said the Rev. Lewis Stewart, president of United Christian Leadership Ministry.

Stewart said the incident highlights the need for more resources to go after illegal weapons and to tighten gun laws.

"Violence and specifically the violence of the gun has no place in our community. We are praying for Officer Nash’s recovery and our thoughts are with his family and all victims of gun violence."

City Council President Loretta Scott thanked the medical team at Rochester General Hospital and the first responders who work to keep the community safe each day.

"I am saddened and troubled by the events that took place on our streets last night, " Scott said. "The violence that plagues our streets and the safety of our residents and first responders needs to end."

Monroe County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo asked the community to keep Nash and his family in their prayers.

"We pray for a full recovery for Officer Nash and ask our entire community to pray for him," Dinolfo said in a statement. "Violence against a member of law enforcement is an attack on the very foundation of our community and cannot be tolerated."

SLAHMAN@Gannett.com
WCLEVELAND@Gannett.com

With reporting by Democrat and Chronicle staff writer David Andreatta.

Officers shot in line of duty

Six Rochester police officers have been shot in the line of duty during the last eight years. In addition, an officer from the Webster Police department was shot and killed while serving as a volunteer firefighter in 2012.

Feb. 3, 2009: Rochester Police Officer Anthony DiPonzio was shot in the head by Tyquan Rivera, 14, on Dayton Street. DiPonzio survived, but required several years of rehabilitation before he could return to work. It was the first time an RPD officer had been shot since 1998. Rivera was convicted of attempted murder and released on parole in 2016. Months later, he was returned to prison for violating conditions of his parole.

June 27, 2013: Rochester Police Officer Flamur Zenelovic shot and wounded Ralph Strong, a suspect in a homicide investigation, during a shootout on North Goodman street. Zenelovic was shot and wounded by Strong in the incident. Strong, 31, was later convicted of attempted murder and aggravated assault on a police officer, in addition to the two murders for which he was suspected. He received a life sentence.